Time to get pumped up! Detroit will face the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time this season in what could be a preview to the Stanley Cup finals.

Did you hear? Sidney Crosby made a TRIUMPHANT RETURN! Oops you blinked… and now he’s out. It was breaking news all-day yesterday on ESPN, yes the network that pretends hockey doesn’t exist has had 24 hour coverage with analysis from Barry Melrose on how Crosby is out again with concussion-like symptoms.

Were you aware that Sidney Crosby is good for the Penguins and NHL? I’m sure he’s is good for Detroit too!

“The Wings are right in the middle of the pack in fourth. Should be a great game of watching the Wings get away with penalties.”

Yes, we will get away with penalties, because the NHL favors us. Tomas Holmstrom deserves every penalty and waived goal he has ever gotten while standing one foot out of the crease making absolutely no contact with the goalie.

Get out your tinfoil hats, puck drops at 7 pm et on FSD.

All kidding aside, Pittsburgh is not going to just let us walk by because Crosby is out. They are still a dangerous team led by Malkin, Neal, Fleury, Kunitz and Kennedy (Man-Bear-Pig). Detroit needs to come out of the gate quick and play a full 60 minutes here, the Penguins have been a brutal 3rd period team this year. Filppula, Franzen, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hudler and Bertuzzi are all hot right now so there is no reason we cant add to the W column tonight.

• DET is 61-58-16-3 all-time vs PIT• DET is 19-45-4-1 all-time at PIT• DET is 24-15-5 in their last 44 Tuesday games• DET is 63-3-4 the last 70 times they’ve scored 4+ goals in a game

• Marc-Andre Fleury (27 years, 15 days) is looking for his 200th win tonight, if he does he will become the fourth-youngest netminder to reach that mark in the Expansion Era (since 1967-68), trailing only Grant Fuhr (26 years, 122 days), Martin Brodeur (26 years, 343 days) and Tom Barrasso (26 years, 354 days).• Pavel Datsyuk has tallied 6G-8A-14P in his last 14 games vs Atlantic Division opponents• Pavel Datsyuk has registered 15G-23A-38P in his last 29 Tuesday games• Henrik Zetterberg has recorded 8G-20A-28P in his last 24 games vs Eastern Conference opponents• Todd Bertuzzi (w/NYI) recorded the first 2-goal &3-point game of his career on 4/10/96 at PIT• Ian White (w/TOR) registered the 100th point of his NHL career (scored GWG) on 12/27/09 at PIT• Johan Franzen is on pace to record 38G-43A-81P this season• Valtteri Filppula is on pace to record 30G-45A-75P this season• Tomas Holmstrom’s next PPG will give him sole possession of 4th place in Detroit team history (currently tied with Sergei Fedorov, 117)• Nick Lidstrom has skated in 192 consecutive regular season games (longest active streak on DET)• Nick Lidstrom is 2 points behind Bernie Federko for 50th place in NHL history (1130)• Jimmy Howard and Ty Conklin are currently tied for 20th place in NHL history in the category of wins by an American-born goaltender (92)• Jimmy Howard is 5-0-0 (1.77 GAA, .942 SV%) in 5 starts vs Eastern Conference opponents this season• Jimmy Howard is currently on pace to record 49 victories this season (NHL record – 48, Martin Brodeur)

Malkin and Staal are game-time decisions tonight, if both don’t play the Pens will be without their top-3 centers. Jason Williams has been recalled by the Red Wings (did I scare you) Penguins, so that should be fun. Letang and Michalek are also out with injuries. If the Wings don’t win tonight I will be sad, and you should be too.